IPCS ISSUE BRIEF NO 145 MARCH 2010 India and Maldives Towards Consolidation N Sathiya Moorthy Director, Chennai Chapter, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Until recently, India’s engagement with the was finally ready and chose democracy on its own Maldives had not been on the same level as with volition without being challenged to compromise its other neighbourhood nations. The same could be sovereignty in any way, India was there for helping said of the Maldives’ ties with India. Distance to build democratic institutions. mattered to an extent but that was not all. The exit of the British, followed a little later by the Insulated by geography and centuries-old traditions arrival of President Abdul Gayoom on the that it either adopted or modified since taking to Maldivian scene meant that there was continuity Sunni-Islam as the State religion in the twelfth with change in India-Maldivian relations. The century, in what earlier used to be a Buddhism- existence of strong institutional mechanisms and dominated state, the Maldivian people trace their greater understanding of bilateral relations at the origins to early settlers from Kerala in 300 BC, political level in India, in particular, led to the followed by their Indian brethren from the Gujarati strengthening of the relationship. coast. Though the Maldives gave itself a new Constitution in 2008, which is at the centre of the This relationship remained intact even as Maldives democratisation process since, the qualification shifted gears to become a multi-party that Sunni-Muslims alone could become its citizens democracy in 2008. The existence of a successful remains unchanged. This was despite the fact that and functioning democracy in India, and the the Maldives is among the most ‘moderate’ of all yearning for the same in the Maldives has only Islamic nations – which possibly owes again to identified more areas for mutual cooperation tradition, and not to any new adoption in modern between the two countries. Mohammed times. Nasheed ‘Anni’, leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), as the first In this background, the Maldives is yet to come fully democratically-elected President, has only out of Islamic socio-legal practices. However, it improved bilateral relations. There is vast potential needs to be highlighted that the Maldivians, voting and scope for building on the already existing ties in a multi-party election for the first time in the between the two nations. This includes diverse presidential poll of 2008, rejected ‘fundamentalist areas such as democratisation initiatives and Islamic parties’. The nation had never practised institutionalisation, education and healthcare, Islamic laws and customs as rigorously as in most economy and investments, and shared concerns other Islamic nations. Yet, given the greater of strategic security. democratisation of the country and the focussed approach of the Nasheed dispensation in this I regard, the country cannot allow cobwebs to BUILDING DEMOCRATIC INSITUTIONS gather around the early efforts in this regard. As a nation entering the democratisation process later The first and foremost expectation from ‘New than many others, particularly the larger Indian Maldives’, is for India to help in the creation and neighbour with diversified issues to address and sustenance of democratic institutions in the atolls- experiences to learn from, the Maldives is uniquely nation. There is much warmth and respect in placed to absorb what could be termed India’s Male, the nation’s capital, for the way India has ‘fifth-generation experience and expertise’ without transformed into a ‘leader in global democracy’. it having to re-invent the wheel at every turn. Having been brought up in an excessive dose of an inherently autocratic administrative structure The Nasheed leadership’s missionary zeal on for centuries together, the Maldives needed time decentralisation of politico-administrative power for this inevitable transition. So, when the Maldives across the atolls, for instance, could thus be tested Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi developing an alternative framework for peace and security in the region INDIA AND MALDIVES PAGE 2 against the touch-stone of Indian experience of the Indian experience with ‘coalition ‘panchayat raj’. The Maldivian judicial scheme is governments’ and anti-defection law may come quasi-Shariat, and this too may need a careful but in handy for an infant democracy like the considerate review without offending religious and Maldives – both in terms of conceptualisation and individual sensibilities. What may have worked, or implementation. not worked for India, may work – or, may not work – in the Maldives. Yet, India could serve in the II secularisation and democratisation of the legal EDUCATION AND ECONOMY and judicial processes. It also applies to the adoption of administrative schemes at all levels, The Maldives is at present shedding the last where a schematic and systematic adoption of vestiges of isolation from the rest of the world. This the ‘Indian model’ of internal checks-and- owes to a variety of reasons, starting with the balances could go a long way in streamlining promotion of resort-tourism by the Gayoom what used to be a personalised administrative regime and its continuance by the Nasheed and accounting system in the Maldives. Government with greater vigour. However, there is no denying the greater exposure that Maldivians In a short span, the Maldives is evolving into a have been getting from visits to neighbouring multi-party democracy, with all its strengths and countries like Sri Lanka and India, Islamic nations ills. After centuries of living under a single leader, like Malaysia and western countries like Australia, the party that has now come to be christened as the UK and the US. While Maldivians who could the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has had its afford it have been going to any of these nations internal election for electing a successor to for higher education and healthcare, the Gayoom. This has strengthened the roots of Gayoom dispensation also introduced a scheme democratic functioning of the political system, of State support for the ‘needy’ – often reduced what with the MDP having adopted primaries of to those identified with the leadership. the western model to nominate its presidential candidate in the first democratic elections in the There may be limited scope in Maldives for starting country, in October-November 2008. There are higher education institutions, given the spread-out also other registered parties in the country, which nature of the islands. However, nations like India are following the American model of directly- that have vast and varied experience in elected Executive President who is not directly privatisation of higher education without accountable to Parliament – where the offending religious and local sensibilities may help Opposition DRP-led alliance is in a majority. the island-nation in exploring the possibilities of internationalisation of education – and also While the DRP became the single largest party in healthcare – in ways that the locals also benefit the House after the parliamentary polls of May directly and the Government in Male also finds a 2009 – again under the new Constitution, as with viable way to diversify its forex-earning capacities, the presidential polls earlier; the MDP has been away from resort tourism. As the experience of the able to claim that position in the past months, past two years proved, ‘resort tourism’ was as owing to a series of defections. However, the sensitive as any other sector to global changes in party has not as yet managed an absolute economic climate in nations from which the majority of its own, which position is being held by tourists flock to the Maldives. As a nation the DRP in alliance with the pre-polls breakaway depended excessively on tourism for supporting its People’s Alliance (PA). It is again in this context, economy and forex earnings in particular, the Maldives is in urgent need to look elsewhere for long-term economic sustenance, growth and development. At present, the Maldives under President Nasheed In a short span, the Maldives is evolving has also embarked on an ambitious privatisation plan, which aims at creating greater avenues for into a multi-party democracy, with all its diversifying tourism-potential, like ‘conference tourism’ and ‘golf tourism’. If successful, they have strengths and ills. After centuries of living a limited shelf-life. A time would also soon arrive in the long life of the atolls-nation, when policy- under a single leader, one way or the makers in the country would have to look at more other, (DRP) has had its internal election sustainable and diversified options for industrial investment, which would spur growth and for electing a successor to Gayoom. prosperity. The need for strengthening the services sectors earnings might be an option but it would be realistic in implementation, only with the IPCS ISSUE BRIEF NO 145 PAGE 3 goodwill of countries like India. Today, the Maldives has the highest per capita income among the South Asian nations. However, The Maldivian economy is dependent almost it does not translate in real terms because the exclusively on international tourism, and the laws, as they exist; favour the foreign investor in terms of expatriation of his earnings, which again country could not close its eyes to post-9/11 are mostly from resort-tourism. India has had a spread of ‘jehadi’ terrorism across the world, long history and experience with laws and investments of the kind – and also has the ‘new particularly in South Asia as a whole. There is generation’ domestic investors with deep pockets who have turned to the West for parking their also the added reality in which Maldives large investments. Even without this, the continues to be a ‘moderate Islamic State’ – Government of India has been among the major donors for propping up the Maldivian economy where other religions are banned.